Gov. Ducey Sid he didn’t choose the four just to rubber stamp his desalination plans.
By Nick Phillips || Arizona Capitol Times
Gov. Doug Ducey announced four of his five picks for the new Water Infrastructure Finance Authority board earlier this week, meaning more than half of the new board’s members have been selected. Three of his four choices have known ties to the governor.
Those with notable Ducey connections are Andy Tobin, Jonathan Lines, and Buchanan Davis. The governor also selected David Beckham, a Valley real estate investor.
The nine-member WIFA board will decide what to do with the $1 billion the Legislature set aside for water augmentation earlier this year, and smaller amounts for conservation projects. They’ll have the power to approve investments in projects that could include the governor’s preferred water augmentation project – a desalination plant in Mexico.
“Now, with the right team, we’re positioned with $1.4 billion to secure our state’s water future for the next 100 years. The board members of the Water Infrastructure Finance Authority will be important stewards of our water resources, pursuing innovative augmentation and conservation projects,” Ducey said in a news release published October 3.
But the governor insisted that he didn’t choose the four just to rubber stamp his desalination plans.
